A healthy body is a guest-chamber for the soul; a sick body is a prison.
Francis Bacon
What an exciting week! Nathan is engaged to the most wonderful young woman and we all shared in the story at midnight last night when all 7 of us were texting each other and them from different cities all over the US. What a fun memory to all be excited together, at midnight, texting and laughing over our phones!
This week, I am staying with a sweet friend in Kentucky and catching up on old times, and I am looking forward to seeing so many of you in Nashville at the Gaylord, where I will be speaking. I have asked some of my friends to fill in some blogs with their own traditions and encouragement. I so appreciate hearing their hearts and hope you will, too. Today my dear friend Sandra shares with us. See you in Nashville!
As a ten year old girl, I had to face my mom's abandonment of our family. At ten, I was the oldest of 5 and had to help my father take care of the younger children.
Civility and love overflowed from my father's heart, though, and he looked for small ways to remind us that we were special and beloved by him. Mementos of his ways spoke to my hurting heart so that deep inside, I knew I was still his little princess. My father greeted me in the morning with a fresh glass of orange juice and often even a gardenia and a smile just for me.
This small gesture represented his love and care for me, in the absence of a mother's devoted love.
But the most valuable part of the morning of serving me breakfast, was the way he took time to look into my eyes, to say that he loved me, and to end his opening of the day with a gentle kiss. It filled my little heart every day with sunshine and hope.
As I became a mom, that one little habit meant so much to me that I tryed to find ways to communicate the same kind of love to my own daugther.
To make it easy for myself I have planted gardenia and rose bushces so I can snip off a bloom (it's easy to do that when you live in California!)- because I wanted my daughter to treasure the same memory of gardenias and roses as a greeting to her day from one who loved her.
In the midst of a very busy life it's difficult to plan for these memorable moments, unless you have items at your finger tips that make breakfast a special moment. Planning ahead to have resources in hand have helped me to provide some of these memories. Maybe you can go to your local grocery store and see what flowers are on special or in season. Even when I was a single mom, I budgeted for buying beautiful flowers to place in my home and shared them with my daughter in her bedroom.
I also keep a stck of napkins on hand so that I can make my table more colorful and interesting.
I keep my refriderator stocked with eggs, cheese or even last nights leftovers to create a healthy omelette.
Yoghurts line the fridge and cereals are in the cupboard.
Remember it doesn't have to be fancy, but it just has to show your love and care. Just having food at your fingertips and making your table one that invites relationship and conversation, causes the whole day to have a great start!
This one simple habit will creat a long lasting memory of love for your children, it will be a blessing as you connect with them every morning.
Just imagine what memories you would be making in their hearts if you practiced each day making breakfast a special memory--over 6000 memories!
Sandra Maddox lives in California and loves mentoring young moms